Legislature, Governor to consider more dollars for officers in budget talks

PHOENIX – Last week’s report of two elementary school students being detained when a gun was found at a Phoenix school has prompted Superintendent Tom Horne to urge state lawmakers and the Governor to prioritize additional funding for the school safety program in the upcoming state budget.

Horne said, “The discovery of a gun on an elementary school campus is very disturbing and once again shows how important it is that schools have armed officers on campus. My biggest fear is that a maniac with a gun shoots up a school, killing or wounding children and adults as has happened in other states.  For the upcoming state budget, the legislature and Governor are going to consider added funding for the highly successful School Safety Program so we can add more officers on campuses. They must do so. The need is clearly there, and we must have safe schools in Arizona.”

He added, “Up to now, we have never had to deny a grant request and my hope is that we never do. Imagine if a school asked for an officer but the funding was not available and a maniac got on campus and killed people. Parents would never forgive that.”

The School Safety Program primarily relies on state dollars. Current funding pays for 498 School Resource or Safety Officers in addition to counselors at more than 1,100 schools statewide. The grant request process for schools that don’t have officers is currently open through mid-April. To date approximately $103 million has been requested by districts and charters for the FY27 School Safety Program. That figure would fund more than 700 positions for both officers and counselors, with more requests expected over the next month.

Horne concluded, “The high number of requests for money to pay for officers and counselors speaks volumes to the concerns school leaders have about campus safety. As last week’s incident in Phoenix shows, the need for officers is great. The legislature and Governor must not fail in their efforts to find the resources schools need to protect innocent lives.”

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

FY27 Statement of Assurances, required for all Public Education Agencies, opens April 1, 2026

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Exceptional Student Services (ESS), Arizona’s representative body for special education, is required to annually obtain assurances from Public Education Agencies (PEAs). These assurances confirm that each PEA is meeting all requirements established under state and federal statutes. This obligation is fulfilled through the annual Statement of Assurances (SOA) application.

Completion of the Statement of Assurances is required for all entities defined as PEAs, regardless of whether they receive federal funds. Non-Public Organizations (NPOs) are exempt from this requirement.

All PEAs must submit the FY27 Statement of Assurances (SOA) through the ESS Portal, accessible via ADEConnect.

The application will open on April 1, 2026, and will close on June 10, 2026.

The SOA must be submitted by the PEA’s Superintendent, Charter Holder, or Special Education Director before FY27 IDEA funding applications can be approved in the Grants Management Enterprise system.

Additional requirements:

• The PEA’s Entity Administrator must assign the ESS Special Education: Signer role in ADEConnect to the individual responsible for reviewing, signing, and submitting the SOA.
• PEAs that do not apply for IDEA funds are still required to submit the SOA.

Once the appropriate role has been assigned, please log in to ADEConnect, navigate to the Exceptional Student Services Portal, and select the Statement of Assurances link under Surveys & Assurances.

The survey code will auto-populate for your PEA. On each page, select the “Yes” checkbox to indicate your assurances for the corresponding requirements.

After completing the survey, the SOA may be printed for your records. To verify submission, you may re-access the SOA; a “Thank you for submitting” page will display if your submission is complete.

Please direct any questions to the ESS Data Management inbox. 

The FY24 9th grade CTED funding adjustment has been calculated and included in the FY26 February state aid payment. This adjustment has been included in the Adjusted Base Support Level. Please see the attached spreadsheet for more information.

Please note that there will be a final adjustment to this funding based on final FY26 ADM during the SRC payment period.

If you have any questions regarding the funding adjustment, please contact the School Finance Payment Team at [email protected]. If you have any questions regarding the ADM, please open a Help Desk ticket with the School Finance Account Analyst Team.

Thank you!

FY24 CTED Funding Adjustment

ADE/ESS is pleased to announce the release of the revised AZ‑TAS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Graduation of Students with Disabilities in Arizona’s Schools. 

This updated document provides guidance on: 

• Key components of FAPE for transition‑aged students 

• Arizona’s graduation requirements for all students 

• Circumstances that conclude a student’s right to FAPE 

Revisions incorporate the Arizona State Board of Education’s October 2024 updates to IEP and secondary transition requirements, information from the Graduation Joint Guidance Memo (ADE, 12/1/25), technical changes, and clarifications requested by the field. We sincerely appreciate the thoughtful questions and feedback from special education stakeholders, which informed several updates and strengthened this resource. 

To further support schools in navigating graduation requirements, ADE/ESS also offers guidance and training on effective postsecondary transition planning, with additional resources currently in development. For more information, please visit the ADE/ESS Secondary Transition website. 

The revised FAQ is linked above and available on the ADE/ESS AZ‑TAS Documents webpage. 

Please disseminate this information to your teams as appropriate. For questions or additional information, contact the ESS Inbox. 

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT

Special Education Data Updates Webinar: Wednesday, March 18, 2026 

Based on the feedback we received from PEAs, the Question-and-Answer session held in November 2025 was a great success, and many of you shared how helpful it was to have the opportunity to ask your most pressing questions. In response, our Data Management team has decided to hold these sessions twice a year—each March and October.

These Q&A sessions provide PEA special education staff with dedicated time to ask general and troubleshooting questions related to data reporting. Please remember that no personally identifiable information (PII) should be shared during the session.

Registration is required, please see the Zoom registration link.

For your convenience, attached is a condensed version of the PowerPoint presentation for reference.

The ESS Data Management team is pleased to announce the release of a new reference tool designed to support your work in resolving SPED-related integrity errors generated from student data submitted to AzEDS.

We have created a document titled “Troubleshooting SPED-Related Integrity Rules,” which provides step-by-step guidance to help you identify, understand, and resolve common SPED integrity rule failures more efficiently. This resource is now available on our AzEDS SPED Reporting webpage, listed under the Tools section with the link title “SPED-Related Integrity Rules.”

This updated guidance replaces all previous integrity troubleshooting materials, including earlier one‑sheet tools that were previously used for clearing SPED-related integrity failures.

We encourage all users who work with AzEDS and SPED data submissions and integrity processing to review this tool and incorporate it into their troubleshooting workflow.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact the ESS Data Management inbox.

Thank you,
ESS Data Management

The ADE/ESS is thrilled to welcome you back to the trail! After six amazing seasons guiding nearly 600 new special education teachers, we’re ready for another unforgettable adventure. 

Teach Camp is a three-day, camp-themed professional learning experience packed with practical resources, strategies, and a strong campfire community of support so that new special education teachers not only survive but thrive as they begin their teaching journey. Teach Camp is available to special education teachers who will begin their first, second, or third year of teaching special education in one of Arizona’s public schools in the fall of 2026.  

Navigating the Journey: Camp Essentials 

• 3-day summer “camp” to be held July 7–9, 2026, at Rio Salado College Conference Center, 2323 W. 14th St., Tempe, AZ 85281 
• The cost per teacher is $195
• Each camper will receive: 
  • The Survival Guide for New Special Education Teachers (3rd edition) 
  • One-year membership to the Council for Exceptional Children 
  • Additional valuable resources to pack in their teaching backpack 

Trailblazing Together: What Teach Camp Alumni Are Saying! 

• “The resources and guidance provided have helped boost my confidence as I begin my journey as a special education teacher.” 
• “I’m hiking away with a full backpack of ideas and a happy teacher heart! Huge thanks to everyone who planned, presented, and made camp such an unforgettable experience. I’d sign up again in a heartbeat—just point me to the trailhead!” 
• “I loved the warm, welcoming environment, the rockstar presenters (aka our fearless trail guides), and meeting so many fellow campers who were eager to share their survival skills and teaching hacks. Teach Camp was s’more than I expected!” 

Ready for Your Teachers to Join the Adventure? 

Registration for Teach Camp is open on a first-come, first-served basis until Friday, June 19, 2026. Registration must be approved by the special education director and completed by the district or charter organization, not the special education teacher. Please note that there is a limit of ten registrations for each district or charter, after which participants will be placed on a waiting list. Travel reimbursement is available for eligible districts and charter organizations for up to five travelers per organization with additional travelers as funding allows. Reimbursement details are provided in the registration form. Please be aware that we may reduce the group size per district or charter organization to accommodate the attendance of more districts/charters and budget constraints for travel reimbursement. On-site registration is not available.  

Spots are limited—register your teachers for Teach Camp today! 

Please email the ESS Recruitment and Retention Inbox with any questions about Teach Camp. 

We are excited to invite you to Arizona’s 2026 IDEA Conference: Stronger Systems, Better Outcomes—for Every Student, from August 18–20, 2026 with Preconference sessions on August 17, at the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort.

ADE/ESS seeks innovative, research-based proposals highlighting your outstanding contributions to special education. This year’s conference will offer various professional learning opportunities, covering IDEA legal issues and updates, instructional practices, national trends and hot topics, special education compliance, preschool special education, and secondary transition.

Why Submit?

• Showcase Your Expertise: Share your knowledge and insights with a wide audience of special education professionals.
• Network with Peers: Connect with fellow educators, researchers, and practitioners.
• Contribute to the field: Help advance special education practices by sharing your innovative approaches and research findings.

Submit your proposals by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Review the Call for Papers Guidelines and submit your session proposal(s) for Arizona’s 2026 IDEA Conference.

Thank you for your dedication to advancing special education in Arizona. We look forward to your contributions. Stay informed by visiting the IDEA Conference website and signing up for the conference listserv for updates and registration information. Questions can be emailed to the IDEA Conference inbox.

BUDG-25 reports for all school districts have been posted to the School Finance website.  FY 2026 February BUDG-25 reports have been calculated using the FY 2026 February BSA-55 information.

• District BUDG-25, BUDG-75, and BSA-55 reports are available to download from this School Finance website. For further instructions on how to navigate the website, please view this Hot Topic.

Please contact the Budget Team ([email protected]) if you have any questions.

Thank you!

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) has paused the implementation of Non‑Fundable Interval (NFI) until further notice. ADE will be working with stakeholders and constituents on the implementation of NFI within AzEDS. Additional updates will be provided in the coming weeks.